Re: GNU gcc/g++ with 386 segmented architecture.

mgcd@QSof01.alcbel.be (Martin G C Davies) writes:
>The delivered GNU gcc/g++ 386 support only works in a flat architecure i.e.
>pointers are 32bit (just a base/index/offset) so DS is always used as the
>segment.
>
>I would like gcc and g++ on an Intel 386 but with a segmented architecture
>i.e. pointers are 48 bits (a segment (DS/ES/FS/GS) and a base/index/offset).


Please tell us why you want to do this.
Do you have more than 4GB that you want to point at?


[...]
>[GCC believes very strongly that its target machine has a flat address space.
>It may be doable, but it'd be a huge project. I've never seen a C compiler
>that did 386 large model. Are there any? -John]


A guy from Meta-Ware gave a talk at least once in which he claimed that
their C compiler had 48 bit pointers (as well as 32 bit pointers). This was
many years ago, but I suppose that once it is in, and shipping to customers,
they would not be likely to take it out.


--
dennis@netcom.com (Dennis Yelle)
[The Intel architecture doesn't handle more than 4GB, segments or no, because
everything is mapped into the 32 bit linear address space. But there are
environments where you've already got segmented data and your code has to
deal with that. -John]
--

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